Roy, some people are just easily triggered, whereas others are just simply wicked. You can't use mental illness as a scapegoat. When I was physically assaulted on a job some years ago by someone I considered a friend, someone I'd have literally jumped in front of and taken a bullet for without a thought, over something that involved neither of us, except for that one thing that continues to be a cancer in our society. I came to realize that person would have just as easily pulled the trigger of a gun rather than spraying a chemical cleanser in my face if they'd had one. The person wasn't mentally ill to any degree. They were just angry over something in the news that happened way across on the other side of the country, over a thousand miles away.
I'm not one to go out of my way to make friends, especially in the workplace. The person approached me. Perhaps they saw something in me they felt they could trust. I became that person's confidant and I guess good listener to all the things going on in their personal life without judgement, no attempts to interfere nor even give advice. Just listen when a listening ear was needed.
But on that day, in that moment, when the news broke, I became a target for pent up rage and hate the individual had allowed to fester. That breaking news from the other side of the country was the trigger. Not only to mention at the time the work environment was a toxic one from the start.
Roy, I sometimes encountered your father, not grandfather for whom you're named, on the elevator going to and from other departments or returning from lunch or breaks. He was a quiet, soft spoken non-assuming man, not flashy or showy, who was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise difficult/hostile place to work. I think he may have been on the board of the company or something. He was always kind and courteous in greeting whenever we crossed paths. I left the job after four or five, maybe six years. But I'll never forget his kindness in what would have been an otherwise unbearable place to work for those four, five or six years I remained there.
Roy, to place blame solely on mental illness only serves to mask and coverup the true underlying problem. There are powerful manipulating actors at play here who know these "triggers" are out there and they know what buttons to push to use to their advantage. Then they'll sit back and gleefully watch the fireworks take place. They are the invisible hands constantly operating behind the scenes operating to create chaos and mayhem. They know what it takes to keep the masses divided. They throw out whatever they can to get the best results on their behalf. The blood is on their hands and they know it too, but they don't care because they remain at a safe protected distance. It's not yet become personal for them. If or should it become personal, there's still no guarantee they'll take the right steps to do the right thing.
Brenda Washington